Sport

Report this comment

"

Dickosfc wrote:

up saints wrote:

seventh-junction wrote:

St Retford wrote:

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote: So we are fully sorted in the middle of the park. We are pretty much there up top too. Although do others have question marks over JRod? I'd like to see Mayuka (is that his name?) and Tad Lee used for their pace from time to time.

Does Rickie need to play with a stiker alongside him, do we think? I'm undecided. I reckon that with Ramirez sitting just behind him and with Lals and Punch cutting in from the wings there should be plenty of service, but is anyone else clinical enough to take the chances that don't fall to Rickie? (I don't know btw...)

I think J Rod, Tadanari Lee and Mayuka will need to be patient and be prepared to wait for their moments as long as Rickie, Gaston and Punchy and Lallana are fit. They'll be first choice if they can keep performing in the settled side which now seems to be evolving. Let's hope for another 3 points against the Toon and then we can see if we are now beginning to get a foothold in the league and hopefully climb the table.

agree all the way to 3 points sunday

Yeah I agree that they need to be patient but I also feel that J Rod has had a lot more of a crack at the whip than Mayuka and Lee but hasn’t taken it. I really believe the later two have some real quality to offer but as said, they’re gonna have to be patient and when they do get the chance, grab it with both hands.

I feel the same about J Rod. He seemed to come in with so much hope, sounded the part, looked the part, then totally and utterly underperformed.

Whether it was the fact that he was being asked to play out of his normal position, I simply don't know. His head went down and he seemed to lose his confidence.

However, he does need to pick himself up and push more now that we have so many attacking options (and an attack that seems to be back working). If he doesn't, he'll be in the doldrums forever. If he does, he's obviously capable and should shine through. I think the problem's all in his head, so it's his choice."

* Your nameThis field is mandatory

* Your emailThis field is mandatory

Reason

Please note we will not accept reports with HTML tags or URLs in them.

Cork’s return to the team after injury has resulted in four points from the last two games as Saints start to show the kind of form that could drag them to Premier League safety.

It should hardly be surprising when you consider that Cork has lost just 11 of the 52 games he has started since making a permanent move to the club from Chelsea just over a year ago. More than that, Adkins (pictured left) has been desperate to pair Cork and Schneiderlin together in a new look Continued: Page 37 midfield that sees the 23-year-olds sitting in front of the back four.

With Cork’s energy and dynamism and Schneiderlin’s fantastic passing ability they look every inch a Premier League partnership.

“He was called up for the Great Britain team for the Olympics which is a great honour obviously but we didn’t have him for pre-season.

“He came back and in his first game he got injured, he came back after that and got injured straightaway in his comeback game.

“We’ve not had an opportunity to have Jack Cork and Morgan Schneiderlin together until now.

“They are two young 23-year-olds who I believe have got so much potential and we can get a good partnership going with them.“We also have young James Ward-Prowse who is going to be phenomenal for us and Steven Davis we have brought in and is still very young in footballling terms but has a wealth of experience he can help the players with.”

Schneiderlin and Cork also have enviable statistics in games they have started together over the past season and a bit.

In that time they have been on the losing side on just six out of 21 occasions.